The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-04

Ruins THAT Have Been Found Amons
the Beehive Huts or Savagcs.


the Beehive Huts OF Savagos.
The readers Of Mr.. Haggard's new
story, ''She" will remember that when
his little party OF adventures passed in
their boat from the sea into an east
African river tney found on the bank a
wall Of stone that had evidently been
a solidly constructed wharf in some re.
mote period. In foot note he JUST.
fies this conceit by abiding to the ruins
of very ancient city on the coast al
Klwa, south of Zanzibar 1t happens
that five hundred miles nearer the re.
gion in which he has placed his story
there are evidences of past cviliza-
ton that are incomparably greater
than those he mentions.
Some way south of the Zampes ivel
there is large region extending from
the sea nearly 400 miles inland and 300
to 400 toward the south, in which ru-
ins are constantly being discovered,
proving that in prehistoric times the
country was inhabited by civilized
people. To-day only the rudest black
tribes inhabit this land, save in few
places where the Portuguese have es.
tablshed stations. The little beehive
huts of the natives are seen among
massive ruins betokening degree of
architectural skill which rivals that Of
the ancient Aztecs. Our knowledge
of these ruins is still far from perfect
Our earliest records of travel and trade
on the east African coast, eXtening
back to the beginning of the Christian
era, do not mention them. Only in re.
cent years have the travels of Sol0us.
Erskine, Mauch, Baines, Mohr, and
O'Neil revealed to. us the monumental
evidence this country contains.
The coast town Sofala is shown on
all maps of east Africa. Near that town
Carl Mauch found extensive ruins. re-
markable for their enduring nature and
STANCE shapes. There are partly ru-
med walls. still thirty feet high and
twelve feet wide at the base, built OF
small hewn blocks of granite. In these
walls, sometimes fifteen to twenty feet
from the ground, are imbedded one end
of blocks of stone eighteen to twenty
feet long. which were evidently used to
support galleries, Here and there,
built in the walls or standing by them
selves are round stone towers, which
evidently rose to heights of thrifty to
fifty feet. Similar masses OF masonry
are found as far rs $50 miles inland and
little north near the coast.
1t is not positively known yet who
built these ancient structures. No
trained archeologist has visited them,
and no search has yet been made for
inscriptions. though O'Neill says he
has no doubt from what he has re-
Gently heard that there are numerous
inscriptions on the ruins about Manica.
All these ruins are surrounded by sur
face gold mines. II is believed that all
this country was occupied some time
before the Christian era by great col
ony probably of Phgnecian origin, and
that its chief occupation was gold-min-
ing.
Mr. O'Neill says that these numerous
ruins are nearly as well preserved as
those of ancient Egypt, and better than
those of Assyria. Some day, no doubt,
they will be Systematically studied.
Their existence shows conclusively that
large region in inner Africa, now Civ
en- up to savage men and wild beasts
was subject many centuries ago to the
control of people who were consider
ably advanced in the arts of civiliza-
ton. -NeU York Sun.